Table saw

ABSTRACT

The table saw disclosed herein includes a table, a saw assembly pivotally attached to the table, the saw assembly comprising an arbor movable relative to the table, a bevel shaft operatively connected to the saw assembly for pivoting the saw assembly, and a height shaft operatively connected to the saw assembly for moving the arbor relative to the table, wherein distance between the height shaft and the table is larger than distance between the bevel shaft and the table. Also disclosed is a saw includes a table having a first miter gauge slot, a base supporting the table, a saw assembly pivotably connected to at least one of the table and the base for carrying a rotatable cutting tool so that the tool protrudes through and above the table, at least part of the saw assembly being underneath the table, the saw assembly comprising a cradle, and a sector gear connected to the cradle, and a first bevel stop disposed underneath the first miter gauge slot, wherein the first bevel stop can contact the sector gear when the saw assembly is pivoted in one direction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.09/569,843, filed May 12, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,303, which inturn claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) of U.S. application Ser. No.60/138,495, filed on Jun. 10, 1999, now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to table saws.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generally, a table saw for cutting work pieces has a table and a sawassembly beneath the table. The saw assembly carries a blade. Typically,the height and the angle of the blade relative to the table can bechanged by rotating two crank wheels, e.g., a height crank wheel and abevel crank wheel, which interact with worm gears of the saw assembly.Usually, the height crank wheel is placed higher than the bevel crankwheel. This is problematic for several reasons. First, based on thetypical construction, the height crank is too close to the underside ofthe table, making it uncomfortable or difficult to turn the heightcrank. Second, if the height crank is lowered to avoid such problem, alarge number of crank wheel revolutions is required to change the heightand/or bevel angle from the minimum to the maximum.

Persons skilled in the art have attempted to minimize the number ofrevolutions by increasing the pitch of the worm gears. Such solutionhowever makes the blade more difficult to finely adjust, thus increasingthe possibility of error. Such solution may also increase thepossibility of backdrives, thus requiring additional locks to keep thesaw assembly in place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, an improved table saw isemployed. The table saw comprises a table, a saw assembly pivotallyattached to the table, the saw assembly comprising an arbor movablerelative to the table, a bevel shaft operatively connected to the sawassembly for pivoting the saw assembly, and a height shaft operativelyconnected to the saw assembly for moving the arbor relative to thetable, wherein distance between the height shaft and the table is largerthan distance between the bevel shaft and the table.

Additional features and benefits of the present invention are described,and will be apparent from, the accompanying drawings and the detaileddescription below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of theinvention according to the practical application of the principlesthereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an exemplary table saw accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the saw assembly;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the saw assembly;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the saw assembly;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the arbor assembly;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of a pulley;

FIG. 7 illustrates several side elevational views along line A—A ofdifferent embodiments of a pulley half, where FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C and 7Dillustrate first, second, third and fourth embodiments of the pulleyhalf, respectively, and FIG. 7E illustrates a pulley having two pulleyhalves as shown in FIG. 7D;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a pulley half;

FIG. 9 illustrates a pulley having two pulley halves as shown in FIG. 8in operation;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an on-off switch;

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of the bevel stop mechanism;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a table saw with a scoring router;

FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the table saw of FIG. 12

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view of a bevel pointer assembly;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an on-offswitch;

FIGS. 16A and 16B are partial cross-sectional views of the switch ofFIG. 15 in different states of operation;

FIGS. 17A and 17B are partial cross-sectional views of a thirdembodiment of an on-off switch in different states of operation;

FIG. 18 is a partial cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of acrank wheel/shaft assembly;

FIG. 19 is a partial cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of acrank wheel/shaft assembly;

FIG. 20 is a front elevational view of a first embodiment of a slot sealmechanism;

FIG. 21 is a rear elevational view of the slot seal of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a front elevational view of a second embodiment of a slotseal mechanism;

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view along line C—C of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view along line B—B of FIG. 22;

FIG. 25 is a front elevational view of a third embodiment of a slot sealmechanism;

FIG. 26 is a detailed view of a sliding plate;

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view along line D—D of FIG. 25;

FIG. 28 is a front elevational view of a fourth embodiment of a slotseal mechanism;

FIGS. 29A-D are rear elevational views of the slot seal mechanism ofFIG. 28, illustrating the movement of the first plate as the shaft movesfrom one end of the bevel slot to the other end;

FIGS. 30A-D are rear elevational views of the slot seal mechanism ofFIG. 28, illustrating the movement of the second plate as the shaftmoves from one end of the bevel slot to the other end;

FIG. 31A-B are rear elevational views of a fifth embodiment of a slotseal mechanism, illustrating the movement of the sealing plates as theshaft moves from one end of the bevel slot to the other end;

FIG. 32 is a rear elevational view of a sixth embodiment of a slot sealmechanism;

FIG. 33 is a detail view of the sealing plates used in the slot sealmechanism of FIG. 32;

FIGS. 34A and 34B are partial cross-sectional views of a firstembodiment of a bevel stop bypassing mechanism;

FIG. 35 is a partial side elevational view of the mechanism of FIGS. 34Aand 34B;

FIG. 36 is a partial front elevational view of another embodiment of abevel stop bypassing mechanism;

FIGS. 37A and 37B are partial cross-sectional views of a furtherembodiment of a bevel stop bypassing mechanism;

FIG. 38 is a partial front elevational view of another embodiment of abevel stop bypassing mechanism;

FIGS. 39A and 39B are partial cross-sectional views of a furtherembodiment of a bevel stop bypassing mechanism;

FIG. 40 is a partial cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of abevel detent mechanism;

FIG. 41 is a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of abevel detent mechanism;

FIG. 42 is a partial front elevational view of a further embodiment of abevel detent mechanism;

FIGS. 43A and 43B illustrate the saw assembly with a riving knifemechanism in different positions;

FIG. 44 is a partial cross-sectional view of the connection between thearbor bracket and the riving knife mechanism of FIG. 43;

FIG. 45 is a front elevational view of a retaining clip used in theriving knife mechanism of FIG. 43;

FIG. 46 is a rear elevational view of a seventh embodiment of a slotseal mechanism;

FIG. 47 is a rear elevational view of an eighth embodiment of a slotseal mechanism;

FIG. 48 is a partial side exploded view of the motor bracket of FIG. 3;

FIG. 49 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a bevel stop bypassingmechanism;

FIG. 50 illustrates an alternate shaft retaining arrangement;

FIG. 51 is a partial cross-sectional side view of an alternate pointerarrangement; and

FIG. 52 is a front view of the pointer arrangement of FIG. 51.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention is now described with reference to the accompanyingfigures, wherein like numerals designate like parts. Persons skilled inthe art are also referred to U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/213,466, filed on Dec. 17, 1998 and entitled “Table Saw”, which ishereby incorporated in whole by reference.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, an exemplary table saw 10 may have a table 11, abase assembly 2, including legs 12, supporting the table 11, and a frontpanel 13 connected to the base assembly 2, legs 12 and/or table 11.

Saw Assembly 100

A saw assembly 100 is pivotally attached underneath the table 11. Sawassembly 100 carries a rotatable cutting tool, such as blade 14. Sawassembly 100 may include a cradle 101. Cradle 101 is preferably made ofcast iron to absorb vibration and/or reduce noise.

Preferably cradle 101 has a side wall 123, a front wall 124 and a rearwall 125. A removable side cover 116 may be also attached to cradle 101via bolts 118. Preferably side cover 116 is made of plastic and may havea dust exhaust chute 117 disposed thereon, to direct dust createdthroughout the cutting operation. Dust chute 117 may include adetachable elbow 117A. Alternatively, a hose 117H connected to a vacuumsource (not shown) may be attached thereon. Persons skilled in the artwill recognize that the side cover 116 may have front and/or rear walls124, 125.

Ribs 102 may be disposed on side wall 123 and/or cradle 101 to increaserigidity and strength while adding minimal weight.

Persons skilled in the art will recognize that the cradle/side covercombination has a generally U-shaped cross-section. Blade 14 ispreferably disposed between side cover 116 and side wall 123.

Cradle 101 may have a front arcuate track 103 and a rear arcuate track104. These tracks 103, 104 are slidably received by grooves in fronttrunnion bracket 121 and rear trunnion bracket 111, respectively, whichare attached to the underside of table 11 via bolts 112. Such connectionallows the cradle 101 to be rotated about a substantially horizontalaxis A, thus allowing the operator to change the angle of blade 14relative to table 11, i.e., the bevel angle. The horizontal axis A ispreferably co-planar to table 11.

Persons skilled in the art will recognize that tracks and grooves may bealternately disposed on the trunnion brackets and the cradle 101,respectively. Persons skilled in the art will also recognize that thecradle 101 may be pivotally attached to the front panel 13, legs 12 orother parts of base assembly 2.

Cradle 101 may also have a pivot joint 105, for pivotally attachingbracket 108 to cradle 101. Pivot joint 105 may have a hole 105Hextending through cradle 101. Preferably, bracket 108 has two side wallswith holes, so that a pin 105P can extend through the first wall, hole105H and the second wall. Preferably bearing sleeves 105L are disposedbetween hole 105H and pin 105P, to minimize friction therebetween. Aretainer clip 105R can then be used to maintain pin 105P in place.

Bracket 108 is preferably welded to the housing of motor 109. Persons ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that bracket 108 may beattached to motor 109 via screws, etc. Bracket 108 may have a hole (notshown) therewith to allow dust chute 117 to extend therethrough.

Motor 109 is preferably electric and may be a universal electric motor,an induction motor or switched reluctance motor. Preferably, sawassembly 100 is designed so that motor 109 is wholly disposed withinbase assembly 2 and/or underneath table 11. Motor 109 may drive a shaft113, which in turn drives a pulley 114. A belt 115 drivingly connectspulley 114 to pulley 201 in arbor assembly 200, which is explained inmore detail below.

Persons skilled in the art will recognize that, due to the weight ofmotor 109 and/or bracket 108, motor 109 and/or bracket 108 will pivotabout joint 105 and away from the cradle 101, thus increasing tension ofbelt 115. It is also beneficial to provide a second force, in additionto gravity, to cause such pivoting action. Accordingly, cradle 101 isprovided with a protrusion 106. A compression spring 107 can then beplaced on the protrusion 106 and between cradle 101 and bracket 108.Preferably, protrusion 106 has threads, or a reasonable facsimile, sothat the spring 107 can be easily rotated into engagement therewith.Persons skilled in the art will recognize that it is preferable to usecompression springs, rather than torsion springs, as they are lessexpensive and simpler to manufacture.

Referring to FIG. 48, bracket 108 may be provided with a boss 108B forreceiving spring 107. Boss 108B may have a lip 108L. A push nut 108C ispreferably pushed onto boss 108B. Push nut 108C may have tines 108CT,which preferably scrape paint off boss 108B as push nut 108C is pushedonto boss 108B. Preferably tines 108CT are resilient so as to maintaincontact with boss 108B.

Trunnion Alignment

In typical table saws, if the trunnions 111, 121 are misaligned, theblade 14 may also be misaligned during bevel cuts. Persons skilled inthe art have suggested placing shims between the table 11 and the reartrunnion 111, or shims between the table 11 and the front trunnion 121,depending on the orientation of the blade misalignment. However, this isproblematic as such solution could require removal of the front panel13.

It is thus proposed to dispose at least one shim 111S between a trunnionand the table 11 during manufacture of saw 10. The saw assembly 100 maythen be aligned during manufacture after providing the shims 111S. Theshims 111S may have a thickness of less than about ⅛th of an inch.Preferably, the shims 111S are disposed between rear trunnion 111 andtable 11.

With such arrangement, the operator need only replace the shim 111S witha slimmer or thicker shim. In other words, the operator would not needto adjust the unshimmed trunnion. Accordingly, if the shimmed trunnionis rear trunnion 111, the operator would not need to adjust fronttrunnion 121, which is typically not easily accessible. Instead, theoperator would only adjust the rear trunnion 111 which is easilyaccessible.

Arbor Assembly 200

Referring to FIGS. 3-5, saw assembly 100 preferably comprises an arborassembly 200. Arbor assembly 200 may include an arbor bracket 202, whichis preferably pivotally attached to cradle 101 via hole 202H. Arborbracket 202 rotatably supports arbor 203 and thus blade 14. Accordingly,the height of blade 14 relative to the table 11 can be adjusted byrotating arbor assembly 200.

As shown in FIG. 5, the end 203E of arbor 203 farthest from blade 14 isinserted into and through arbor bracket 202, washer 209 and bearing 208.Preferably washer 209 and bearing 208 are disposed within bracket 202.End 203E then extends through pulley 201, which are kept in place by anut 207 threadingly engaged to end 203E.

At the opposite end, bearing 208′ and a first blade clamp 204 may bedisposed on arbor 203. Preferably, bearing 208′ is contained withinbracket 202. Blade 14 is then disposed on arbor 203 and between firstblade clamp 204 and second blade clamp 205. A nut 206 threading engagesarbor 203 and retains this assembly in place. Preferably, arbor 203extends into the area between side wall 124 and side cover 116.

Referring to FIGS. 5-7C, pulley 201 may be made of two pulley halves201H, 201H′, which in turn could be made of powdered metal. Preferably,each half has an inclined surface 201S, that could direct the belt 115to the middle portion 201P of pulley 201, or provide a surface fordriving belt 115 as shown in FIG. 7E. Each half has an shaft hole 201Afor receiving arbor 203.

Preferably, each half has a surface that engages positively with surface203F of end 203E, thus ensuring positively engagement between pulley 201and arbor 203. Surface 203F could be a groove for receiving key 201K inthe pulley of FIG. 7A, a flat surface for contacting flat key 201K′ inthe pulley of FIG. 7B, or two flat surfaces for contacting the doubleflat key 201K″ in the pulley of FIG. 7C. Persons skilled in the art willrecognize that other alternatives for ensuring positive engagementexist, such as providing a groove in the pulley halves that engage orreceive a key disposed on arbor 203, providing curved surfaces in thepulley which contact other surfaces of arbor 203, etc.

Referring to FIG. 6, it is preferable that one of the pulley halves havean integral nut portion 201N which can be engaged with a standardwrench. Having such nut portion 201N allows a user to hold the arbor 203in place, while removing nut 206, thereby facilitating pulley removaland/or replacement. Alternatively, the middle portion (201P in FIG. 6)may shaped in a hexagonal shape, basically providing an integral nutportion 201P′ which can be engaged with a standard wrench, as shown inFIGS. 7D-7E.

As shown in FIGS. 8-9, an alternate pulley may have a pulley half 201H″,which in turn may have a semi-circular channel 201SH. When both pulleyhalves 201H″ are placed together, a circular channel is formed, whichcan receive a spanner wrench 201SW, allowing the user to hold the arbor203 in place, as discussed above. Persons skilled in the art shouldrecognize that the same result can be achieved by providing the entirechannel in one pulley half.

As mentioned above, the height of blade 14 relative to table 11 may bechanged by rotating the arbor assembly 200. Referring to FIGS. 1-5, thiscan be accomplished by providing arbor bracket 202 with a rack 202R.This rack 202 meshes with a worm drive 231 disposed on height shaft 232,which is rotated via height crank wheel 15. Height shaft 232 issupported by two protrusions 101B of cradle 101, in a manner discussedmore fully below. Accordingly, height shaft 232 and worm drive 231rotate when height crank wheel 15 is rotated. Worm drive 231 meshes withrack 202R, causing arbor bracket 202 (and arbor assembly 200) to rotate,changing the height of blade 14.

Riving Knife Mechanism 400

Referring to FIGS. 43-45, the saw assembly 100 may be provided with ariving knife mechanism 400 for supporting a riving knife 404 behindblade 14. Riving knife mechanism 400 may include support arm 403, whichis rotationally supported by arbor bracket 202 as described below.Riving knife 404 may be integrally formed with or attached to supportarm 403. Preferably, support arm 403 and riving knife 404 are providedwith slots 406, 407, respectively, and held together with a bolt 405.Accordingly, with such arrangement, riving knife 404 may be adjustedvertically and/or horizontally relative to blade 14.

Preferably, a link arm 402 is pivotally attached to cradle 101 byinserting pin 401P into hole 401 (see FIG. 4). Link arm 402 may also bepivotally attached to support arm 403 via pin 403P. Preferably, thepositioning of pins 401P, 403P is such that link arm 402 issubstantially parallel to a line extending between hole 202H and arboraxis 203A. In this manner, as arbor bracket 202 is pivoted, link arm 402pivots the same amount, forcing support arm 403 (and thus riving knife404) to remain in the same position relative to blade 14, regardless ofmovement of arbor bracket 202. Preferably support arm 403 is keptsubstantially parallel to the table plane. Persons skilled in the artwill recognize that link arm 402 may be made parallel to other lines,thus forming a parallelogram arrangement, to achieve the same purpose,i.e., maintaining the position of support arm 403 and/or riving knife404 relative to blade 14 regardless of arbor bracket movement.

Support arm 403 may be disposed against shoulder 202S of arbor bracket202. Support arm 403 may be then held in place by a retaining clip 408.Preferably clip 408 is made of a resilient material. Clip 408 may havean inclined, or tapered, surface 408T, which contacts a tapered surface202T of arbor bracket 202. Alternatively, clip 408 may have anon-tapered surface, contacting tapered surface 202T, or vice versa.Accordingly, as clip 408 contracts, it moves along surface 202T andagainst support arm 403, thus pushing support arm 403 against shoulder202S.

Beveling Mechanisms

The angle of blade 14 relative to table 11 may be changed in a mannersimilar to the blade height. Referring now to FIGS. 1-4 and 11, cradle101 may be provided with a bevel sector gear 151 thereon. Preferably,bevel sector gear 151 is attached to cradle 101 via screws 152. Bevelsector gear 151 has a rack 153 which meshes with a worm drive (notshown) disposed on bevel shaft 233, which is rotated via bevel crankwheel 16. Bevel shaft 233 is supported by two protrusions 121B of fronttrunnion bracket 121, in a manner similar to the mounting of heightshaft 232. Accordingly, bevel shaft 233 and its worm drive rotate whenbevel crank wheel 16 is rotated. The worm drive meshes with rack 233,causing cradle 101 and blade 14 to rotate, thus changing the bevel angleof blade 14 relative to table 11.

Preferably, bevel sector gear 151 has elongated slots 154 through whichscrews 152 extend. Accordingly, bevel sector gear 151 may be verticallyadjustable relative to cradle 101 to fine-tune the meshing between theworm drive and the rack 153. Such arrangement, for example, thus allowsremoval of gear backlash at the 0° bevel angle without requiringadditional parts, such as the eccentric bushings required in the priorart. Persons skilled in the art recognize that other equivalent meansfor allowing vertical movement of the bevel sector gear 151 exist.Nonetheless, they are equivalents of the described embodiment.

Preferably, the ratio of the worm drive and the rack 153 is selected sothat one crank wheel rotation causes the cradle 101 to bevel a whole(non-fractional) number of degrees, i.e., about 1.0°, 2.0°, 3.0°, etc.Alternatively, the ratio may be selected so that one crank wheelrotation causes the cradle 101 to bevel about 1.50°, rather than 1.55°,or 2.50°, rather than 2.55°, etc.

Bevel sector gear 151 may also have bevel stop surfaces 155, whichcontact the underside of table 11 or bevel stop bolts 11B threadinglyengaged to table 11. Accordingly, as cradle 101 is beveled, bevel sectorgear 151 is also beveled. When one of the limits of the bevel anglerange, e.g., from about 0° to 45°, is reached, bevel stop surface 155will contact bevel stop bolt 11B, preventing any further bevel movement.Persons skilled in the art will also recognize that bevel stop bolt 11B(and thus the end limit of the bevel range) may be adjusted by rotatingits head 11BH, or by inserting a wrench 11W into an indentation (notshown) disposed at the end of bolt 11B. Persons skilled in the art willrecognize that it may be advantageous to provide a bevel stop bolt 11Bwithout a head 11BH, allowing the user to insert bevel stop bolt 11Bfrom the top of table 11.

Preferably, bevel stop bolts 11B are disposed underneath miter gaugeslots 11M, so as to minimize the amount of holes on or machining to thetable 11, thus providing a more level table 11. Such arrangement ispossible by disposing the bevel stop surfaces 155 closer to the bottomsurface 151B of bevel sector gear 151 (and/or to the rack 153) than tothe top surface 151T.

The table saw may be provided with a bevel stop bypassing mechanism.Referring to FIGS. 34-35, table 11 may be provided with a channel 11Cslidably receiving the bevel stop holder 301, which supports bevel stopbolt 11B. The bevel stop holder 301 may be moved between two positions:(1) a first position shown in solid lines on FIG. 35, where bevel stopsurfaces 155 of bevel sector gear 151 contact bolt 11B; and (2) a secondposition where bevel stop surfaces 155 cannot contact bolt 11B, i.e.,bypassing bolt 11B and allowing the operator to bevel cradle 101 pastthe bevel position defined by bolt 11B without readjusting the bolt 11B.In the second position, bevel stop holder 301 is preferably moved to theposition shown in dotted lines on FIG. 35. A handle 302 may be connectedto bevel stop holder 301 to move the holder between the first and secondposition.

Persons skilled in the art will note that in the shown embodiment, bevelstop holder 301 moves along a direction substantially parallel to thetable plane. However, persons skilled in the art will recognize thatbevel stop holder 301 may be configured so that it rotates between thefirst and second positions about an axis which may be substantiallyperpendicular or substantially parallel to the table plane, etc. Personsskilled in the art should also recognize that bevel sector gear 151 maybe configured so that bevel stop surfaces 155 themselves can be movedbetween a first position contacting the stop bolts 11B and a secondposition bypassing the stop bolts 11B.

A further embodiment of the bevel stop bypassing mechanism is shown inFIG. 49. The main differences between this and the previous embodimentare that (1) stop bolt 11B may be engaged to table 11, rather than toholder 301, and (2) a movable spacer 301S is disposed between bolt 11Band bevel sector gear 151. Accordingly, bevel sector gear 151 wouldcontact spacer 301S, rather than bolt 11B, until spacer 301S is removed,allowing sector gear 151 to move beyond.

Another embodiment of the bevel stop bypassing mechanism is shown inFIG. 36. In this embodiment, a shaft 305 is connected to cradle 101, sothat, as cradle 101 bevels, shaft 305 moves along slot 17. Front panel13 may be provided with a bevel stop 303 having a protrusion 304. Bevelstop 303 may be moved between a first position shown in solid lines,where protrusion 304 contacts shaft 305, and a second position shown indotted lines, where shaft 305 can bypass protrusion 304.

Persons skilled in the art will note that bevel stop 303 may be rotatedabout an axis substantially perpendicular to front panel 13 and/orsubstantially parallel to the table plane. Persons skilled in the art,however, should recognize that bevel stop 303 may alternatively berotated about an axis substantial parallel to front panel 13 and/orsubstantially perpendicular to the table plane, or moved linearly in adirection substantially parallel or substantially perpendicular to frontpanel 13. One such arrangement is shown in FIGS. 39A-39B, where bevelstop 303′ may be moved linearly between the first and second positions.Persons skilled in the art may note that bevel stop 303′ may be providedwith protrusions 303P to limit the movement of bevel stop 303′.

Another embodiment of the bevel stop bypassing mechanism is shown inFIGS. 37A-37B. As before, a bevel stop 303 may be disposed on frontpanel 13. Bevel stop 303 may have a protrusion 304 to contact and stopmovement of shaft 305 (and thus of cradle 101). Unlike the embodiment ofFIG. 36, the shaft 305 moves linearly to bypass protrusion 304.Alternatively, shaft 305 may be rotated between the first and secondpositions as shown in FIG. 38.

Persons skilled in the art will recognize that more than one or twobevel stops may be disposed and/or bypassed. In other words, it iswithin the scope of this invention to provide three, four or more bevelstops that can be bypassed in the same manner described above.

The table saw may also be provided with a bevel detent mechanism. Asshown in FIG. 40, at least one of the trunnion brackets, e.g., trunnion111, may have a detent ball or pin 307 biased against track 104 by aspring 308. Track 104 may have detent notches 306 for receiving thedetent pin 307. Preferably notches 306 are provided for the most commonbevel positions, i.e., 0°, 33°. 45°, etc. Notches 306 may shaped as aconical aperture, a hole, etc., for receiving the pin 307, which may betapered or semi-spherical, shaped like a cylinder, etc. Persons skilledin the art will recognize that the detent pin 307 may alternatively beprovided on track 104 to engage notches 306 disposed on trunnion 111, asshown in FIG. 41.

FIG. 42 illustrates another embodiment of the novel detent mechanism.This mechanism may be comprised by the detent plate 309 disposed on thefront panel 13 and the latch assembly 311 supported by the saw assembly100 and/or cradle 101 (not shown). Once again, persons skilled in theart are referred to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/213,466 which isincorporated by reference in its entirety, and in particular to thedetent mechanism shown in FIGS. 21-23.

Preferably, the detent plate 309, preferably made of stainless steel, isslidingly attached to front panel 13. The detent plate 309 may be heldon the panel 13 by a set of screws 309S. The detent plate 309 also hasholes or notches 310 disposed at the outer edge of the detent plate.These notches 310 are disposed at select locations of the detent plate309, preferably at commonly desired bevel angles. Persons skilled in theart will recognize that holes or notches 310 may be provided on frontpanel 13 instead.

As mentioned above, the latch assembly 311 is supported by the sawassembly 100 and/or cradle 101, and may include a latch mechanism 323and a support 312 for supporting the latch mechanism 323. A hole 322 insupport 312 may slidingly receive a pin 314. The pin 314 is connected toa knob 318, so that a user can slide the pin 314 in and out of hole 322.The hole 322 may be round. Preferably, the hole 322 has V-shaped lowerportion 322 v. In addition, a spring 316 may be connected between thepin 314 and a holding plate 317, normally biasing the pin 314 towardsthe detent plate 309. The holding plate 317 may be fixedly attached tothe support 312 via screws 319. A limit plate 315 prevents the pin 314from being pulled beyond the holding plate 317.

A detent 320 may be provided on the pin 314. The holding plate 317 has anotch (not shown) that allows the detent 320 to bypass the holding plate317, thus allowing the pin 314 to contact the detent plate 309. Theholding plate 317 also has at least one detent notch 321 disposed about90° from the notch. Accordingly, if a user pulls out and rotates the pin314 about 90°, the detent 320 engages the detent notch 321, holding thepin 314 is held in a retracted position (away from the detent plate309).

With such arrangement, the pin 314 may engage a notch 310 of detentplate 309. It is thus beneficial to place, or “program”, the notches 310on the detent plate 309 to correspond with commonly desired bevelangles. Accordingly, if the user wants to quickly and accurately findthe 33° bevel angle position, the user need only to pull out the pin314, rotate the bevel crank 16 so that cradle 101 moves towards the 33°angle position, and to let go of the pin 314. Because the pin 314 isnormally biased towards the extended position, the user can continuemoving the cradle 101 towards the 33° angle position until the pin 314engages the corresponding notch 310.

The mechanism described above minimizes the “play” in the pin, providinga more accurate distance setting. This is achieved by limiting thenumber of contact lines between the detent plate 309 and pin 314 andbetween hole 322 and pin 314. The total number of contact lines is lessthan infinity and is preferably between 3 and 10. Persons skilled in theart are referred to FIG. 24 and the explanation connected to such figurein U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/213,466, which is incorporated byreference.

Shaft Arrangement

Unlike in typical prior art saws, the height shaft 232 may be underneaththe bevel shaft 233. In other words, the height crank wheel 15 may belower than bevel crank wheel 16. Such arrangement is preferable forseveral reasons. First, as the cradle is beveled towards 45°, the heightcrank wheel 15 moves closer to the underside of table 11. If the heightcrank wheel 15 is positioned as in typical prior art saws, it may bedifficult to see from the operator's standing viewpoint. It is alsoeasier for the operator to hit his hand against the underside of thetable 11. The present arrangement, however, lowers the height crankwheel 15 to avoid these problems.

Second, if the bevel shaft is above the height shaft, a larger bevelsector gear, and larger rack, may be necessary. Such arrangement wouldnecessitate a large number of bevel crank wheel rotations to bevel fromone bevel angle to the other, or a very large worm drive. The presentarrangement, however, decreases the size of the bevel sector gear and/orworm drive by raising the bevel shaft, thus lowering the number of turnsrequired for beveling.

Referring to FIG. 19, height shaft 232 is supported by cradle 101.Preferably, a bearing sleeve 413 is disposed between shaft 232 andcradle 101. Bearing sleeve 413 may be a ball bearing, roller bearing,needle bearing, cylinder bearing, or be made of plastic, such as nylon.For ease of assembly, it is preferable that bearing sleeve 413 have atop portion 413T, so that bearing sleeve 413 can be pushed into thechannel disposed within protrusion 101B and kept therein.

Shaft 232 is retained by shaft retaining mechanism 410, which includesdifferent pins and washers, as discussed below. The shaft 232 is theninserted through a first protrusion 101B and bearing sleeve 413. Theshaft 232 is inserted through a washer 414, which is preferably made ofplastic or metal. A pin 412 is then inserted through shaft 232,sandwiching washer 414 between protrusion 101B and/or sleeve 413 and pin412. Shaft 232 is then inserted through the second protrusion 101B andbearing sleeve 413. A wavy, or spring, washer 415 and a washer 416 arethen disposed on shaft 232. A pin 417 is then inserted through shaft232, sandwiching washers 415, 416 between protrusion 101B and/or sleeve413 and pin 417. Worm drive 231 is then disposed on shaft 232. Personsskilled in the art will recognize that wavy washer 415 may be replacedby a resilient washer, or one made with an elastomeric material. Havingsuch washers allow for limited movement of shaft 232 along its axis.

An alternate embodiment of shaft retaining mechanism 410 is shown inFIG. 50, where like numerals refer to like parts. Shaft 232 ispreferably inserted through spring washer 420 and washer 419. Shaft 232is then inserted through protrusions 101B and sleeve 413. Preferably,bearing sleeve 413 extends between both protrusions 101B. Shaft 232 isthen inserted through washer 416. A pin 417 is then inserted throughshaft 232, sandwiching washer 416 between protrusion 101B and/or sleeve413 and pin 417. Worm drive 231 is then disposed on shaft 232. Personsskilled in the art will recognize that washer 420 may be replaced by aresilient washer, or one made with an elastomeric material.

Persons skilled in the art will recognize that this retainingarrangement may also be used with bevel shaft 233.

Crank Locks

FIG. 18 shows a first embodiment of the crank lock. Shaft 232 preferablyhas a worm gear 231 disposed near one end, and threads 232T disposednear the other end. Shaft 232 may have a pin 232P disposed therethrough.

Shaft 232 may also have a bearing sleeve 232B disposed between worm gear231 and pin 232P to minimize friction between shaft 232 and protrusions101B, in a manner similar to bearing sleeve 413, as discussed above.(Persons skilled in the art will recognize that bearing sleeve 232Bcould be used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, and that bearingsleeve 413 could be used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 18.) Bearingsleeve 413 may be fixedly attached protrusion 101B via holds 232H, whichpreferably prevents rotation of sleeve 413 relative to protrusion 101B.Preferably, shaft 232 is retained by a shaft retaining mechanism, suchas the one shown in FIG. 19. Preferably, a thrust washer 232W isdisposed between bearing sleeve 232B and pin 232P.

A crank 15C is disposed over the shaft 232. Crank 15C may have anextension 15S which engages pin 232P, so that shaft 232 rotates uponrotation of crank 15C.

A locking knob 15L may further be provided to threadingly engage threads232T. Accordingly, upon rotation of knob 15L, knob 15L will move alongthe longitudinal axis towards protrusions 101B, pushing extension 15Sagainst thrust washer 232W and/or bearing sleeve 232B, thus preventingrotation of shaft 232. Preferably, the area of extension 15S contactingthrust washer 232W and/or bearing sleeve 232B is maximized to increaselocking force. An O-ring 15OR may be disposed between knob 15L and crank15C (or extension 15S) to prevent unintended loosening of knob 15L, andthus unintended unlocking of shaft 232.

FIG. 19 shows a different embodiment of the crank lock, where likenumerals refer to like parts. Since operation of both embodiments issimilar, the teachings of the first embodiment are incorporated herein.The main difference is that the length of extension 15S has beenincreased so that extension 15S can contact protrusion 101B and/orbearing sleeve 413. Persons skilled in the art will recognize that athrust washer may still be disposed between extension 15S and protrusion101B and/or sleeve 413.

FIG. 50 shows a different embodiment of the crank lock, where likenumerals refer to like parts. Since operation of all embodiments issimilar, the teachings of the first two embodiments are incorporatedherein. The main difference is that a sleeve 421 is disposed between pin232P and washers 419,420 and/or protrusion 101 or sleeve 413. Sleeve 421helps minimize crank wobble.

Bevel Pointer

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the front panel 13 preferably has a bevel slot17 that allows a height crank wheel 15 to move along, as saw assembly100, and thus height shaft 232, are beveled. In addition, front panel 13may have a scale 18 to indicate the bevel angle.

Preferably, a bevel pointer 19 indicates along scale 18 the bevel angle.Referring to FIG. 14, bevel pointer 19 is disposed on rod 19S, which issupported by cradle 11. Preferably, a bolt 19B extends through rod 19Sand threadingly engages wedge 19W. Wedge 19W and rod 19S may haveco-acting inclined surfaces 19I, so that upon rotation of bolt 19B, thediameter of the wedge/rod combination expands, locking the wedge/rodcombination with cradle 101. In this manner, the rod 19S may be movedaxially and locked in a preferred position, allowing the operator toeffectively move pointer 19 closer to the panel 13 for more accuratescale pointing and for minimizing the parallax error when viewing thescale 18. Further, pointer 19 may be held onto rod 19S by a bolt,preferably bolt 19B, allowing the operator to pivot pointer 19thereabout for more accurate scale pointing.

FIGS. 51-52 show a different embodiment of the bevel pointer, where likenumerals refer to like parts. Since operation of both embodiments issimilar, the teachings of the first embodiment are incorporated herein.The main differences between the two embodiment is that rod 19S isfixedly attached to cradle 101 and that pointer 19 can move along and/orrotate about the longitudinal axis of rod 19S. Rod 19S may be fixedlyattached to cradle 101 via a set bolt 19SB, a friction fit, etc.Preferably pointer 19 has a clamping portion 19C, which can be tightenedaround rod 19S via screw 19B.

Alternatively, referring to FIG. 18, pointer 19 may be disposed onheight shaft 232, or bearing 232B. Preferably, the pointer 19 includes aclamping sleeve 19CS that allows the operator to move the pointer 19along the axis of shaft 232 and closer to panel 13 and/or about the axisof shaft 232.

Switches

Referring to FIG. 1, a switch 500 may be disposed on base assembly 2 toturn on and off motor 109. Preferably, switch 500 may be supported byleg 12 and/or front panel 13. Alternatively, switch 500 may be supportedby table 11.

FIG. 10 illustrates a first embodiment of switch 500, which preferablycomprises a housing 501, an on switch 502 and an off switch 503.Preferably, on switch 502 is disposed below the surface 501S of housing501. Off switch 503 may be disposed above the surface 501S. In thismanner, it would be easier for the operator to turn off motor 109,rather than turn on motor 109.

It is also advantageous to make the on switch 502 smaller than the offswitch 503. Preferably, on switch 502 is circular and has a diameter ofabout 1.1 inches and thus an area of about 0.95 square inches. In turn,the off switch 503 may be rectangular. The height and width of offswitch 503 are preferably about 6.5 inches and 1.845 inches,respectively, providing an area of about 12 square inches. Personsskilled in the art will recognize that the area of off switch 503 can beincreased by providing a curved contact surface 503S as shown in FIG.10, rather than a flat contact surface.

Persons skilled in the art will recognize that it is preferable toprovide an off switch having at least twice the area of the on switch.It is also preferable if the off switch has an area equal or larger totwelve times the area of the on switch.

Another switch 500 is illustrated in FIGS. 15-16B. In this embodiment,switch 500 may comprise a housing 504, a contact plate 505 pivotallyattached to the housing 504 via pin 505P, and a rocker switch 506disposed within the housing 504. Plate 505 preferably has an opening507. Plate 505 may also have a switch contact surface 505S whichcontacts switch 506.

With such arrangement, the operator can reach the switch 506 throughopening 507 and push the switch 506 towards the on position, as shown inFIG. 16A. Plate 505 may be provided with a channel 505C to allow switch506 to freely rotate towards the on position. The user can then turn offthe table saw by pushing against plate 505, so that surface 505S pushesswitch 506 towards the off position. Persons skilled in the art willrecognize that the same result can be achieved by attaching the plate505 to any other part of the table saw.

FIGS. 17A and 17B illustrates another switch 500, where like numeralsrefer to like parts. As above, switch 500 may comprise a housing 504, acontact plate 505 pivotally attached to the housing 504 via pin 505P,and a rocker switch 506 disposed within the housing 504. Unlike in theprevious embodiment, switch contact surface 505S forces the switch 506into both the on and off positions. Plate 505 may also have a pullingportion 509.

With such arrangement, a user can turn on the table saw by pulling plate505 via pulling portion 509. Plate 505 pivots about pin 505P and surface505S moves the switch 506 towards the on position, as shown in FIG. 17B.To turn the table saw off, the user pushes on plate 505, forcing surface505S to move the switch 506 towards the off position, as shown in FIG.17A.

A spring 508 is preferably disposed between housing 504 and plate 505 tobias the plate 505 towards the on and/or off positions. In the presentembodiment, spring 508 biases plate 505 towards both the on and offpositions. The spring 508 preferable engages a boss 505B on plate 505.The position of boss 505B may be chosen so that, when the boss 505B isin the on and/or off positions, it is offset from the position ofmaximum spring force.

Plate 505 may have a slot 505SS sliding along boss 504B of housing 504to limit the range of movement of plate 505. In other words, boss 504Bwill limit how far plate 505 can move in a direction. Accordingly, if auser hits plate 505 with extreme force, boss 504B will stop plate 505and prevent the transfer of all that force to switch 506.

Slot Seal Mechanisms

FIGS. 20-33 disclose different embodiments of a slot seal mechanism forsealing the slot 17 so that an operator cannot access the saw assembly100 through front panel 13 and/or to prevent dust from escaping throughslot 17. These slot seal mechanisms preferably do not interfere with themovement of height crank 15 and its corresponding shaft along slot 17.

FIGS. 20-21 illustrate a first embodiment of a slot seal mechanism. Inorder to seal slot 17, a panel 521 of flexible material, such as clothor plastic, is attached to panel 13. A slot 522 is disposed on panel 521to allow crank 15 (or its corresponding shaft) to move therealong.Zipper strips 522M are disposed along slot 522.

A zipper closing assembly 523 is disposed on panel 521 for openingand/or closing zipper strips 522M. Preferably the closing assembly 523has a hole 534 for allowing crank 15 or the height shaft to extendtherethrough. Closing assembly 523 may have a base 523B and a frontpanel 525 supported by base 523B. Zipper strips 522M may be disposedbetween base 523B and front panel 525. Base 523B may carry wedges 526for separating the zipper strips 522M and/or for joining the zipperstrips 522M, thus opening and closing the zipper.

Accordingly, as crank 15 or the height shaft is moved along slot 17, theassembly 523 moves therewith in the same direction. The first wedge 526to encounter the zipper strips 522M will separate them as the assembly523 moves, while the second wedge 526 will bring the zipper strips 522Mtogether, as is well known in the zipper art.

Persons skilled in the art will recognize that the zipper strips 522Mshown are the traditional multi-teethed zipper strips. However, personsskilled in the art will recognize that other closing means, such as theinterlocking groove zipper usually found in common plastic bags, orhook-and-loop fasteners, etc., may be used instead.

FIGS. 22-24 illustrate another embodiment of the slot seal mechanism,where like numerals refer to like parts. In this embodiment, top flap528 and bottom flap 527 are attached to front panel 13 along slot 17.Preferably top and bottom flaps 528, 527 overlap to seal slot 17. Topand bottom flaps 528, 527 may be made of a resilient material, such asplastic or rubber. Because of this resiliency, the crank 15 or thecorresponding height shaft may move through the top and bottom panels,as shown in FIG. 24.

Accordingly, as crank 15 moves, it will push the top and bottom flaps528, 527, which bend to accommodate crank 15. After crank 15 has passed,the top and bottom flaps 528, 527 will return to the sealing positionshown in FIG. 23.

Persons skilled in the art should recognize that the flaps may haveprofiles other than the flat profiles shown in the figures, in order toincrease their resiliency or to improve the seal.

FIGS. 22-24 illustrate another embodiment of the slot seal mechanism,where like numerals refer to like parts. In this embodiment, a track 530is disposed on panel 13. Preferably track 530 is comprised of uppertrack 530A and lower track 530B, defining a channel 529C. Upper andlower tracks 530A, 530B are preferably made of sheet metal.

A sliding plate 529 is preferably disposed in channel 529C and ispreferably made of resilient plastic or rubber. A hole 529H may beprovided in the middle of plate 529 for accepting crank 15, or thecorresponding height shaft, therethrough. Preferably, plate 529 is longenough so that it covers the entire slot 17 at any position therealong.If, because of the length of plate 529, it extends beyond panel 13 atany position, track 350 may be angled or curved to force plate 529 tobend in order to avoid extension beyond panel 13. Persons skilled in theart will also recognize that track 530 may be designed to bend plate 529in order to maintain plate 529 within base assembly 2 and/or theenvelope of the table 11.

FIGS. 28-30D illustrate another embodiment of the slot seal mechanism,where like numerals refer to like parts. In this embodiment, first andsecond plates 532, 531, respectively, are pivotally attached to crank15, or the corresponding height shaft, and movably connected to frontpanel 13.

As shown in FIGS. 29A-29D, front panel 13 may have a roller or boss 533.First plate 532 may have a track or slot 532S which slidingly receivesthe boss 533. Accordingly, as crank 15 moves along slot 17, plate 532moves therewith. Plate 532 also rotates and/or moves according to theshape of slot 532S.

Similarly, referring now to FIGS. 30A-30D, front panel 13 may have aroller or boss 534. Second plate 531 may have a track or slot 531S whichslidingly receives the boss 534. As before, plate 531 rotates and/ormoves according to the shape of slot 531S, as it is pulled by crank 15.

Persons skilled in the art will recognize that it is preferable to“program”, or shape, the slots 531S, 532S so that both plates 531, 532will cover slot 17.

FIGS. 31A-31B illustrate another embodiment of the slot seal mechanism,where like numerals refer to like parts. In this embodiment, slot sealmechanism 540 comprises a crank plate 541, which has a hole (not shown)to allow crank 15, or the corresponding height shaft, therethrough.Crank plate 541 is operatively connected to at least one cover plate542. In this embodiment, crank plate 541 is pivotally attached to coverplate 542, which in turn is pivotally attached to another cover plate542, etc. These cover plates 542 are ultimately attached to a coverplate 542 which is pivotally attached to panel 13.

As shown in FIG. 31A, as crank 15 is moves to the farthest end, plates542 pivot and extend to cover slot 17. However, as crank 15 moves to thenearest end, plates 542 pivot and fold underneath each other, as shownin FIG. 31B. Persons skilled in the art will recognize that only one setof plates 542 has been shown for the sake of clarity, but that two setsof plates 542 may be disposed on each side of crank 15 in order to sealthe entire slot 17 at any position of crank 15.

FIGS. 32-33 illustrate another embodiment of the slot seal mechanism,where like numerals refer to like parts. This embodiment is similar tothe embodiment shown in FIGS. 31A-31B.

In this embodiment, slot seal mechanism 540′ comprises a crank plate541′, which has a hole 541H to allow crank 15, or the correspondingheight shaft, therethrough. Crank plate 541′ is operatively connected toat least one cover plate 542′. In this embodiment, crank plate 541′ hasa boss 541B, which slidingly engages cover plate 542′ via slot 542S.Plate 542′ may also have a boss 542B which can slidingly engage the slot542S of another cover plate 542′. Accordingly, a plurality of coverplates 542′ may be connected to each other in this manner, and may beultimately attached to a cover plate 542′ which is attached to panel 13.

Plates 541′, 542′ may have at least one track edge 541T, 542T,respectively, which slidingly engages at least one track 543 disposed onpanel 13. Accordingly, as crank 15 moves along slot 17, plate 541′ movesalong tracks 543. Boss 541B moves along slot 542S until it reaches theend of slot 542S. Boss 541B then forces plate 542′ to move along slot 17and/or its boss 542B to move along slot 542S. Also, as plate 541′ pushesplate 542′, a second boss 541B may pull on another plate 542′, whichultimately pulls on another, etc. With such interleaving construction,slot 17 can be sealed.

FIG. 46 illustrate another embodiment of the slot seal mechanism, wherelike numerals refer to like parts. In this embodiment, roller assemblies545 may be disposed on panel 13 near the ends of slot 17. Panels 544,546 may be retractably attached roller assemblies 545. Persons skilledin the art are referred to the roller assemblies found in window shadesand/or tape measurers, where the shade or tape are retractably attachedto the corresponding roller assemblies, allowing the shade or tape to bepulled away from the roller assembly and/or to be automaticallyretracted via the roller assembly.

Crank 15, or the corresponding shaft, preferably extends through bothpanels 544, 546. With the above construction, as crank 15 is moved alongslot 17, it will move closer to one roller assembly 545, which in turnretracts one panel. At the same time, crank 15 will move farther fromthe other roller assembly 545, which in turn allows crank 15 to pull theother panel. By having both panels 544, 546 acting in conjunction, theslot 17 may be sealed.

FIG. 47 illustrate another embodiment of the slot seal mechanism, wherelike numerals refer to like parts. Like before, a crank plate 541 whichengages crank 15, or the height shaft, may be slidingly disposed ontracks 543. A panel 547 may be connected at one end to plate 541 and atthe other to panel 13. Preferably panel 547 is made of a bendablematerial, such as cloth, plastic, rubber, metal, etc. Panel 547 may haverods 548 inserted therein, which may be in turn slidingly disposed ontracks 543.

Accordingly, as crank 15 is moved along slot 17, it will force rods 548to slide along tracks 543 and/or force panel 547 to fold into pleats orunfold. Persons skilled in the art will recognize that only one panel547 has been shown in FIG. 47 for the sake of clarity, but that twopanels 547 may be provided in order to completely cover slot 17.

Persons skilled in the art will recognize that all these slot sealingmechanism are preferably disposed on the back of panel 13, so as toprevent the user from incorrectly manipulating the mechanisms.

Scoring Mechanism 350

Referring to FIGS. 12-13, the table saw may be provided with a scoringmechanism 350. Preferably scoring mechanism 350 is placed in front ofblade 14, so that, when users push a workpiece towards blade 14, bit 351will score the underside of the workpiece, thus decreasing workpiecesplintering.

Unlike prior art scoring mechanisms which use a blade rotating about anaxis substantially parallel to the rotational axis of blade 14 and/orthe table plane, the present scoring mechanism has a rotatable bit 351which rotates about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to therotational axis of blade 14 and/or the table plane. Bit 351 may berotated by a motor (not shown) disposed in a housing 352.

Both housing 352 and bit 351 are preferably movable in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to the table plane. A possible means forachieving such purpose may include vertical supports 353 connected tothe underside of table 11, which slidably receive stays 355. A bolt 354may threadingly engage a stay 355 to fix the position of housing 352.Persons skilled in the art will recognize other means to change thevertical position of bit 351 and/or housing 352. F or example, a rackand pinion system can be used to effect movement of housing 352 and/orbit 351.

Persons skilled in the art may also recognize other alternatives to themeans disclosed herein. However, all these additions and/or alterationsare considered to be equivalents of the present invention.

1. A saw comprising: a table; a base supporting the table, comprising apanel; a saw assembly pivotably connected to at least one of the tableand the base for carrying a rotatable cutting tool so that the toolprotrudes through and above the table, at least part of the saw assemblybeing underneath the table, an adjustment shaft supported by the sawassembly and protruding from the panel, the shaft having a worm gear atone end and threads near the other other end; a locking knob threadinglyengaged to the shaft; a crank connected to the shaft and disposedbetween the locking knob and the saw assembly; and a bevel pointerassembly connected to the saw assembly and extending through the panel,the bevel pointer assembly comprising a rod connected to the sawassembly, the rod having a longitudinal axis, and a pointer disposed onthe rod, the pointer being rotatable about the longitudinal axis of therod and movable relative to the panel along the longitudinal axis of therod.
 2. The saw of claim 1, wherein the crank is connected to the shaftvia a pin.